Mervis Crushes Two More, Taillon Makes Another Start, Wesneski Deals, PCA Struggles, Murray, Vazquez, More

I was going to drop all of my thoughts on Iowa’s Friday night win over St. Paul in the Cubs bullets this morning, but there was just a little too much to get to. And most of this is pretty important stuff with some potential near-term, big-league impact on the Chicago Cubs. So let’s dig in.

  • First and most importantly, Jameson Taillon made another rehab start last night, his second as he tries to ramp up for his 2024 debut. And it went well!
  • After a shorter 2.2 IP outing in Tennessee last Sunday, Taillon went 3.2 innings in Iowa last night, allowing no runs to score on just 3 hits, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts. Most importantly, Taillon worked his way up to 68 pitches, which means he’s probably juuuuust about ready to come back. But I don’t think we’re there just yet, even though the Cubs are likely anxious to get one starter back (normally, when a guy gets to around 70 pitches on a rehab start, he’d come back up if he’s feeling good, this is Taillon’s initial ramp up having missed spring training entirely, so it’s a little different than normal).
  • So to that end, if Taillon stays on normal rest, his next start for Iowa would be Thursday, April 18. From there, if he’s still feeling and looking good, he’d be on track to make his 2024 debut against the Astros on April 23 at Wrigley Field (right in the window the team had been targeting).
  • Hayden Wesneski also had a really good night last night, going 4.1 scoreless innings with 3 hits, 1 walk (1 HBP), and 4 strikeouts. He’s had a really nice start to the season overall, with 10Ks and a 2.53 ERA through 10.2 innings of work.
  • You don’t have the three walks and 2 HBPs, when control is one of his biggest red flags, but the overall results are good. We will absolutely be seeing a lot of Hayden Wesneski this year (out of the rotation or bullpen, it’ll happen one way or another). So I’m glad to see he’s getting some results.
  • Sticking with pitching that could impact the big-league Cubs this season, Carl Edwards Jr. also had a really nice bounce back appearance after a rough first outing with Iowa. Last night, he threw one boring and scoreless inning, allowing just one hit, walking none, and striking out one. He had walked three batters and got just 2 outs, in his 2024 debut for the I-Cubs, so this was a much better follow-up after rejoining the org.
  • Offensively, the I-Cubs had some big games last night. Luis Vázquez continued his scorching start, going 3-3 with a homer and a walk, continuing to fly WAY under the radar given his stats and skillset.
  • While B.J. Murray hit a controversial inside-the-park home run for his first Triple-A homer.
  • But the best outing belongs to Matt Mervis, who hit not one, but two homers in the I-Cubs win.
  • The season is young, but Matt Mervis has his season slash line up to video-game number levels already: .341/.426/.659 (173 wRC+). And he’s doing it with some really great underlying numbers.
  • The rub here is that we already knew Mervis could destroy Triple-A pitching, even if not quite to this extent. And regardless of what the Cubs may say, their addition of a similarly aged, also-left-handed, also first-base/DH type (Michael Busch) this offseason really reveals what they think of his future. And with Pete Crow-Armstrong potentially moving Cody Bellinger to first base at some point this season, the DH opportunities may not really be there either. So I really don’t know where the Cubs go from here.
  • I guess no matter what, it’s good to see Mervis succeed. Injuries happen, underperformance happens, and so on. And he’s right there in Iowa, waiting for his next opportunity. For now, I’m just happy to see him succeeding. And I hope the Cubs don’t actually need to insert him into the lineup until they actually want to because he’s forcing the issue. And I’ll tell you what, if he keeps up a 173 wRC+ for another 50-100 plate appearances, that time may come sooner than we think.
  • In less encouraging, but not particularly troubling news (yet), Pete Crow-Armstrong went 0-5 last night with a strikeout. He’s now hitting .208/.240/.396 (58 wRC+) on the year with a 28% strikeout rate. The defense remains excellent and he’s even 5-5 in stolen base attempts through just 12 games. But there’s clearly still work to be done there. He’s got plenty of time, though.
  • written by

    Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL. In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy. You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami

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